An inhaler article is a device that simulates the act of tobacco smoking by producing an inhaled mist which closely matches flavor of inhaled tobacco smoke. Inhaler articles can produce inhalable mist by many different mechanisms, for example by heating a propylene glycol or glycerin-based liquid solution and allowing the vapourised solution to condense into microscopic droplets. The heat can be produced by energy supplied by a fuel or by electricity usually stored into a battery. Most inhaler articles are designed to resemble actual tobacco smoking implements, such as cigarettes, cigars, or pipes.
An example of an inhaler that produces an inhalable mist from a battery-based electrical energy is an electronic cigarette. Electronic cigarettes generally consist of three primary components: a cartridge, an atomizer, and a battery unit. The cartridge comprises an absorbent mesh that is soaked with a solution of flavour and aroma compounds, propylene glycol, water and aroma compounds. The cartridge is usually disposable such that when the user senses that the amount of flavour and aroma compounds in the cartridge are run down he is able to replace the used cartridge with a new cartridge.
The inhalable mist generated from such inhalers often lacks specific sensory attributes associated with tobacco smoking implements, since they usually do not contain tobacco. Attempts have been made to overcome this problem by providing solid tobacco within the device as the source of flavour and aroma.
It is desirable to extract the flavour and aroma compounds as close as possible in time to the moment when the user operates the electronic inhaler device, to closely match the flavour of inhaled tobacco smoke, and thus the smoking sensation. Attempts have been made to overcome this problem by providing cut tobacco within the cartridge as the source of flavour and aroma. For example, WO2008/108889 discloses various configurations of an e-cigarette in which a cartridge is loaded. The cartridge may have cut tobacco or tobacco extract. However, because there must be an unimpeded physical flow of liquid from the cartridge to the heating element during use, cut tobacco is not readily suitable for direct insertion into existing cartridge for inhaler articles because the tobacco particles can easily impede the flow of liquid towards the heating element. Furthermore, tobacco particles can easily cause failure of the wick and heating elements of an electronic inhalable article.
The present invention aims to address the problems associated with the prior art.